This invention relates to an incinerating system which advantageously utilizes normally wasted materials as fuel to produce heat energy while reducing industrial air pollution. In particular, the invention relates to an incinerator equipped with particle retention and filtration means which combusts waste products fuel in a lumber mill and which cleans the combustion medium before passage therof to a drying kiln for utilization in drying cut lumber.
Increased public awareness of the need to protect the environment by drastically reducing industrial air pollution and by conserving the earth's natural resources as well as specific legislation such as the Air Pollution Control Agency regulations have made it incumbent upon industry to develop new methods and means for operating within reasonable environmental guidelines.
In industrial operations wherein waste product production is voluminous, such as in the lumber industry, the disposal problem is particularly vexatious. Due to the impracticability of ocean dumping and in view of the many difficulties associated with sanitary land fill operations, incineration of such waste materials has traditionally been industry's solution to the problem. However, many present day incinerating operations do not meet environmental standards inasmuch as they often involve direct exhaustion of high temperature pollutant-laden products of combustion into the atmosphere. Such systems are also generally wasteful of the energy contained in such combustion products.
Many prior art attempts have been made to address these and other related problems. The aforementioned U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 543,491, filed by Drake et al. discloses a system which, because of the manner in which the waste materials are consumed, produces a substantially clean exhaust medium which may be mixed with proportioned quantities of ambient air for temperature control and transmitted directly to a point of use so that most of the energy in the medium is utilized efficiently. However, where extremely clean exhaust medium is required, an efficient system for processing the exhaust medium and for removing therefrom both gross and miniscule particulate is required. It is to the fulfillment of this requirement that the instant invention is directed.